Holding Down
Lately my spirit is held down
And my head is bouncing like sound against the walls that are surrounding me
It is that it’s my darkest days
and somehow I’ve acted plays that now lives to make me be
So now I lean to the side and drift
like I am waiting for things to sift through the fine chains that surround
Like a bird on the highway as the cars go by
doing everything from keeping to fly and go where I wont be found
Changing moods. Something that we all experience at many times in the course our lives, in the course of a minute, hour or day in fact.. Although we may dream that we can be happy every day, there are going to be a lot of times that we are not.
Our moods come in all colors in our lives don’t they?
Blue- we have those days. We have those times. We sing them, we are them. Blues
Black- those specific days we want to never live again – the black day
Red- Those angry days
Grey- those days of emotion, of loneliness or despair
Yellow- happiness? caution? urgency?
Our best answer to manage our lives is to understand our “true colors” and make the choices that help to color our attitudes.
What are the colors of your moods? The color of your world?
Cyndi Lauper – True Colors
Donovan- Colours – a songwriter of many colors indeed.
There was this special time when “going out to eat” was something you did in frequently. It was a time when a family would treat themselves to something out of the routine and give “mom” a night off.
Family outings to restaurants were indeed unique. White table cloths, the waitress with water for all, the crackers in the basket on the table and a list of standard American fare that would come from the swinging doors in the back. You could predict the menu regardless of where you went.
Ah but then there was that special time when you and your parents would venture to a “fast food” emporium. Places that would offer a drive-up area where waiters would arrive at the driver’s window to get your order. A&W Root Beer. Dairy Queens.
But the most special…..when I was a kid was to go to McDonald’s and get a 15 cent hamburger, small fry and a shake. There wasn’t much more on the menu those days, and if you wanted to eat there you would bring the bag back to the car. The window was out doors and they would hand it though the window — with a cardboard tray if there were several drinks. Not pressed board or Styrofoam, but standard cardboard. They had millions sold back then I think- not billions. 🙂
What is your special restaurant when you were young?
It is the middle of SUMMER here in Texas, and like always I reflect on the music that made up my younger years. Summer was special because school was out and the weather was ripe for enjoying time at the beach, or camping or traveling. Just sitting out in the backyard in a lawn chair and when I was older cruising the main-streets ( gas was so much cheaper than, but then the cars only got single digits miles per gallon.
Ahh but the songs! My son and I got thinking about those “songs” that made up the memories of summer ( and those that also reminded us of winter). My list was totally different than his (with a few exceptions). But it was fun. I recall listening to the songs on “transistor radios” on the beach blankets, on the AM radio in the car, and later in various Walkman- like things with headphones. But they were indelible and still conjure up those sweet memories.
What are your summer songs?
Here are 6 of mine.
1) The Beach Boys: Do It Again
Actually it could be very many of their songs, this is just one I love. In America these guys are the definition of summer music for a generation or 2! LOVE the outfits in this old video.
2) The Kinks: Sunny Afternoon
Ray Davies is very underrated as part of the Brit Invasion and all the great songs beyond. Love this one. Was and still am a big fan (Waterloo Sunset is another).
3) The Rolling Stones: Honky-tonk Woman
First time I heard this was out in my backyard out of one of those little radios, I turned it up so loud it broke it. I went out that day and got the 45 PRM version and played it to death.
4) America: Ventura Highway
I was listeing to AM radio on my way to the beach and the windows rolled down. My friends were in the car. We sang the do-do-do’s like we were never going back home (the beach forever dude).
5) Steely Dan: Do It Again
We were in the basement of my best friends house. It was a late Friday afternoon. We had opened a 12 pack of Budwiser, we were playing pool and thinking about the weekend coming up when we would be going to the lake up in the woods and fish and eat and drink (not necessarily in that order). We jacked up the stereo and took it all in. Steely Dan is damn cool.
6) Blink 182: What’s My Age Again
Okay so I spent 7 years in a row going with my kids to Warped Tour. I got immersed in the music of their generation. I gotta say I love the energy and… sure I was a fan of that same type of music when I was a teen. There is always high-energy teen angst music playing somewhere. Thanks to my kids- spent some crazy summers on hot pavement finding a lot of new bands. Of course there was some irony on this Blink 182 song …. yeah sure.
It is that time of the year again where here in America we celebrate our Independence from the British. Independence Day (4th of July) also seems to serve as a time to acknowledge the “middle of summer” although that is far from technically correct.
It does seem to be a passage from the beginning of summer to heading toward fall, at least that is how I saw it when I was a kid growing up in mid-west America. It helped to mark time on the calendar until school started again.
As I grew up the 4th of July was one filled with fond memories of celebrating that was like no other holiday of the year.
The Cannon Shot
Warm weather mornings would start off with one exploding “report” we kids would call a “cannon shot” fired off at the same time in the AM at all of the city-owned parks. It was like a blast to remind us all that “in the dawns early light” the flag was still there. It would be followed by anticipation of the day which would include a very festive 4th of July parade through the heart of main street in downtown.
The Parade
It was a big parade, including several marching bands ( the mid-west was full of competing marching bands). They would play great tunes with huge horn sections and drums (drum and bugle corps I think they called them). It was always great. In between would be floats from local businesses, clowns on cycles, honorary cars with veterans from foreign wars, the Shiners, the Lions, the Mason’s, 4H … clubs and organizations of all sizes and shapes would participate. It was a cross section of Americana in the middle of the 20th century. The town would line up on the curbs and hours would pass before the fire-engine brigade would finish it up. [Actual picture below from that time]
The Cook-out (barbecue)
Later in the day my dad would rev up the charcoal grill (no gas grills in my memory existed in my yard or anyone elses those days) and he would rotate chicken on the rotisserie and mom would make various salads ( if you call jello salad, potato salad actually salads). It was “all good” on the screened in porch with refreshments and chips for us kids.
The Doll Buggy Parade
At some point there would be a neighborhood parade that would include a “doll-buggy” promenade of kids with their bikes and wagons with flags and crepe-paper and smiles as their parents looked on. Just a few blocks length, but the city would barricade the streets for the 15 minutes it would last- it was special to the families. Not sure how many of these happened over the entire city- but it seemed to happen in my neighborhood for many years- I think as a remnant of an earlier time. It finally stopped happening.
The Fireworks
Then lastly came the FIREWORKS! In my town since we lived on the coast of the Great Lake Michigan, fireworks were sent above the lake shore at dusk and it would seem the entire city would be there. They were always memorable, and when the bigger/grander one’s would explode you could hear a collective “ooo” or “ah” from the entire crowd down the beaches and parks that line the shore of the Lake.
Sparklers
When we would get back home we would lite sparklers on the lawn and dance around in complete awe. Long thin pieces of metal that would have sparkling chemicals that could actually get extremely hot. My mother would always caution to be careful to hold the end but not ever touch them. We would have a cold-water metal bucket to put them in when we were done.
Those are my fond memories of my childhood 4th of July. I think there are indelible snap shots in my mind.
Live people in “bronze makeup and stiff bronze-like costumes” would depict this memorial statue. Was always anticipated in the 4th of July parade
Tracks In The Dust 